Por Ismael Buendia Unicaja has reached an agreement with Surne Bilbao Basket for the signing of Swedish point guard Melwin Pantzar (1.90 meters, 25 years old) for the next four seasons, plus an optional one. He will continue the 2025-26 season playing on loan for the Basque team.
With this move, the player joins Unicaja after an outstanding season with Surne Bilbao Basket last year. In the Liga Endesa, he averaged 9.8 points, 3.8 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals for a valuation of 13.4, playing all 34 ACB games with his team. In the FIBA Europe Cup, where the Bilbao team clinched the title by defeating PAOK Thessaloniki in the final, he posted 18 points, 2.5 steals, and 2 assists to be named the MVP of the final.
Additionally, the player is an international with the Swedish national team, having played 6 games in the FIBA windows, averaging 16.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists for a valuation of 17.5 in 6 games. He will participate in EuroBasket 2025 this summer.
Melwin Pantzar, born in Stockholm, came up through the youth system of Real Madrid, which grants him a Local Development Player license, commonly known as a quota. He made his Liga Endesa debut with Real Madrid at the age of 18 in the 2017-18 season. After a season with the first team, he was loaned to the reserve team of AS Monaco Basket in 2019-20, where he also played some games with the senior team. In the 2020-21 season, he started with CB Ciudad de Valladolid in the Liga LEB Oro but moved to BAXI Manresa towards the end of the season.
Following his time in Catalonia, he returned to Valladolid for two more seasons, establishing himself as one of the standout point guards in the Spanish second division. In the 2023-24 season, he returned to Liga Endesa with Surne Bilbao Basket, where he continued his development to become one of the top playmakers in the league. He was named Player of the Week 12 after recording 23 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals for a valuation of 32 against Valencia Basket.
Melwin Pantzar: «It was a dream to be at such a big club»
The player, who has traveled to Malaga for the necessary medical examination, expressed his joy in his first words as a Unicaja player: «I am really happy to have signed with Unicaja. It was a dream to be at a big club, with many titles, always at the top, and I am very grateful.»
Regarding how the signing came about, he said, «I really didn’t expect it, but my agent called me and I said yes right away because, as I said, it is a very big club, and I am very happy. I know there are many talented players here, especially point guards like Alberto Díaz, Kendrick Perry, and I want to follow in their footsteps, be a good point guard, and help the team.»
He took the opportunity to describe himself as a player to his new fans: «I like to defend, I like to run a lot, and what I do is penetrate, try to make my layups, but also look for shooters or the big man.»
In his first year, he will remain with his current team on loan: «This year in Bilbao, I want to continue doing well, play my game, keep improving, try to finish as high as possible in the league and, of course, in the FIBA Europe Cup, let’s see if we can win it again.»
Finally, he shared his excitement about representing Sweden in the EuroBasket: «It’s going to be a very nice summer, I really can’t wait to represent my country, my family, and play against some big teams and do well.»
With his signing until 2030, Unicaja adds vision, physicality, and aggressiveness towards the basket for the future due to the player’s youth.
Welcome, Melwin!